Taoism 

(also known as Daoism) is a Chinese philosophyattributed

to Lao Tzu (c. 500 BCE) which contributed to the folkreligion of the
people primarily in the rural areas of China and became the official
religion of the country under the Tang Dynasty. Taoism is therefore
both a philosophy and a religion. It emphasizes doing what is natural
and "going with the flow" in accordance with the Tao (or Dao), a
cosmic force which flows through all things and binds and releases
them.

The philosophy grew from an observance of the natural world, and the
religion developed out of a belief in cosmic balance maintained and
regulated by the Tao. The original belief may or may not have included
practices such as ancestor and spirit worship but both of these
principles are observed by many Taoists today and have been for
centuries.

Taoism exerted a great influence during the Tang Dynasty (618-907

CE) and the emperor Xuanzong (reigned 712-756 CE) decreed it a
state religion, mandating that people keep Taoist writings in their
home. It fell out of favor as the Tang Dynasty declined and was
replaced by Confucianism and Buddhism but the religion is still
practiced throughout China and other countries today.

ORIGINS
The historian Sima Qian (145-86 BCE) tells the story of Lao-Tzu, a
curator at the Royal Library in the state of Chu, who was a natural
philosopher. Lao-Tzu believed in the harmony of all things and that
people could live easily together if they only considered each other's
feelings once in a while and recognized that their self-interest was not
always in the interest of others. Lao-Tzu grew impatient with people
and with the corruption he saw in government, which caused the
people so much pain and misery. He was so frustrated by his inability
to change people's behavior that he decided to go into exile.
As he was leaving China through the western pass, the gatekeeper Yin
Hsi stopped him because he recognized him as a philosopher. Yin Hsi
asked Lao-Tzu to write a book for him before he
left civilization forever and Lao-Tzu agreed. He sat down on a rock
beside the gatekeeper and wrote the Tao-Te-Ching (The Book of the
Way). He stopped writing when he felt he was finished, handed the
book to Yin Hsi, and walked through the western pass to vanish into
the mist beyond. Sima Qian does not continue the story after this but,
presumably (if the story is true) Yin Hsi would have then had the Tao-
Te-Ching copied and distributed.

THE TAO-TE-CHING
THE  TAO-TE-CHING  IS AN ATTEMPT TO
REMIND PEOPLE EVERYONE COULD LIVE
TOGETHER PEACEFULLY IF PEOPLE WOULD
ONLY BE MINDFUL OF HOW THEIR
THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS AFFECT
THEMSELVES, OTHERS, AND THE EARTH.
The Tao-Te-Ching is not a 'scripture' in any way. It is a book of poetry
presenting the simple way of following the Tao and living life at peace
with one's self, others, and the world of changes. A typical verse
advises, "Yield and overcome/Empty and become full/Bend and
become straight" to direct a reader to a simpler way of living. Instead
of fighting against life and others, one can yield to circumstances and
let the things which are not really important go. Instead of insisting
one is right all the time, one can empty one's self of that kind of pride
and be open to learning from other people. Instead of clinging to old
belief patterns and hanging onto the past, one can bend to new ideas
and new ways of living.

The Tao-Te-Ching was most likely not written by Lao-Tzu at the

western pass and may not have been written by him at all. Lao-Tzu
probably did not exist and the Tao-Te-Ching is a compilation of sayings
set down by an unknown scribe. Whether the origin of the book and
the belief system originated with a man named Lao-Tzu or when it was
written or how is immaterial (the book itself would agree) and all that
matters is what the work says and what it has come to mean to
readers. The Tao-Te-Ching is an attempt to remind people that they
are connected to others and to the earth and that everyone could live
together peacefully if people would only be mindful of how their
thoughts and actions affect themselves, others, and the earth.

YIN-YANG THOUGHT
A good reason to believe that Lao-Tzu was not the author of the Tao-
Te-Ching is that the core philosophy of Taoism grew up from the
peasant class during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE) long
before the accepted dates for Lao-Tzu. During the Shang era, the
practice of divination became more popular through the reading
oforacle bones which would tell one's future. Reading oracle bones
led to a written text called the I-Ching (c. 1250-1150 BCE), the Book
of Changes, which is a book still available today providing a reader
with interpretations for certain hexagrams which supposedly tell the
future.
 I-Ching Hexagrams

A person would ask a question and then throw a handful of yarrow

sticks onto a flat surface (such as a table) and the I-Ching would be
consulted for an answer to the person's question. These hexagrams
consist of six unbroken lines (called Yang lines) and six broken lines
(Yin). When a person looked at the pattern the yarrow sticks made
when they were thrown, and then consulted the hexagrams in the
book, they would have their answer. The broken and the unbroken
lines, the yin and yang, were both necessary for that answer because
the principles of yin and yang were necessary for life. Historian John
M. Koller writes:
Yin-yang thought began as an attempt to answer the question of the origin of the
universe. According to yin-yang thought, the universe came to be as a result of the
interactions between the two primordial opposing forces of yin and yang. Because things
are experienced as changing, as processes coming into being and passing out of being,
they must have both yang, or being, and yin, or lack of being. The world of changing
things that constitutes nature can exist only when there are both yang and yin. Without
yang nothing can come into existence. Without yin nothing can pass out of existence
(207).

Although Taoism and the Tao-Te-Ching were not originally associated

with the symbol known as the yin-yang, they have both come to be
because the philosophy of Taoism embodies the yin-yang principle and
yin-yang thought. Life is supposed to be lived in balance, as the
symbol of the yin and the yang expresses. The yin-yang is a symbol of
opposites in balance - dark/light, passive/aggressive, female/male -
everything except good and evil, life and death, because nature does
not recognize anything as good or evil and nature does not recognize a
difference between life and non-life. All is in harmony in nature, and
Taoism tries to encourage people to accept and live that kind of
harmony as well.

BELIEFS
Other Chinese texts relating to Taoism are the Chaung-Tzu (also
known as the Zhuangzi, written by Zhuang Zhou, c. 369-286 BCE) and
the Daozang from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and Sung Dynasty
(960-1234 CE) which was compiled in the later Ming Dynasty (1368-
1644 CE). All of these texts are based on the same kinds of
observation of the natural world and the belief that human beings are
innately good and only needed a reminder of their inner nature to
pursue virtue over vice. There are no "bad people" according to Taoist
principles, only people who behave badly. Given the proper education
and guidance toward understanding how the universe works, anyone
could be a "good person" living in harmony with the earth and with
others.
According to this belief, the way of the Tao is in accordance with
nature while resistance to the Tao is unnatural and causes friction. The
best way for a person to live, according to Taoism, is to submit to
whatever life brings and be flexible. If a person adapts to the changes
in life easily, that person will be happy; if a person resists the changes
in life, that person will be unhappy. One's ultimate goal is to live at
peace with the way of the Tao and recognize that everything that
happens in life should be accepted as part of the eternal force which
binds and moves through all things.

This philosophy corresponds closely with the Logos of

the Roman stoics like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. They claimed
the Logos was a force of reason and that nothing which happened
according to the Logos could be bad; only people's interpretations of
what happened made those circumstances seem bad. Taoism claims
the same thing: nothing is bad in itself, only our self-interest makes us
think that some events in life are bad and others good. Actually, all
things happen in accordance with the flow of the Tao and, since the
Tao is natural, all things are natural.

Unlike Buddhism (which came from India but became very popular in

China), Taoism arose from the observations and beliefs of the Chinese
people. The principles of Taoism impacted Chinese culture greatly
because it came from the people themselves and was a natural
expression of the way the Chinese understood the universe. The
concept of the importance of a harmonious existence of balance fit well
with the equally popular philosophy of Confucianism (also native to
China). Taoism and Confucianism were aligned in their view of the
innate goodness of human beings but differed in how to bring that
goodness to the surface and lead people to act in better, unselfish,
ways.
 Lu Dongbin

TAOISM & CONFUCIANISM

The philosophy of Taoism grew into a religion of the peasant classes of
the Shang Dynasty, who lived closely with nature. Their observations
of the natural world influenced their philosophy, and one of the things
they incorporated was the concept of eternity. The tree which seemed
to die came back to life in the spring season and the grass grew again.
They concluded that when people died they went somewhere else
where they continued to live, they did not just disappear. Everyone's
ancestor who had ever died still lived on in another place and in the
presence of the gods; Confucians believed in this same concept and
revered their ancestors as part of their daily practices.

 Ancestor worship became a part of Taoist rituals, although the Tao-

Te-Ching does not support it outright, and a reverence for nature and
the spirits in nature - very similar to the Shintoism of Japan - came to
characterize Taoist observances. Even though Taoism and
Confucianism are very similar in many core beliefs, they are different
in significant ways. A refusal to participate in strict rites and rituals
sets Taoism apart most dramatically from the philosophy
of Confucius. Koller writes:

Confucius advocated rites and music so that the desires and emotions might be
developed and regulated, for therein lay the development of humanity. To Lao-Tzu,
efforts to develop and regulate the desires and emotions seemed artificial, tending to
interfere with the harmony of nature. Rather than organize and regulate things to
achieve perfection, Lao-Tzu advocated letting things work to their perfection naturally.
This means supporting all things in their natural state, allowing them to transform
spontaneously (245).

To Lao-Tzu (the name is used here as an expression of Taoist

thought), the more regulations one demanded, the harder one made
one's life and the lives of others. If one relaxed the artificial rules and
regulations which were supposed to improve life, only then would one
find that life naturally regulates itself and one would fall into pace with
the Tao which runs through and regulates and binds and releases all
things naturally.

RITUALS
This belief in allowing life to unfold in accordance with the Tao does
not extend to Taoist rituals, however. The rituals of Taoist practice are
absolutely in accordance with the Taoist understanding but have been
influenced byBuddhist and Confucian practices so that, in the present
day, they are sometimes quite elaborate. Every prayer and spell which
makes up a Taoist ritual or festival must be spoken precisely and every
step of the ritual observed perfectly. Taoist religious festivals are
presided over by a Grand Master (a kind of High Priest) who officiates,
and these celebrations can last anywhere from a few days to over a
week. During the ritual, the Grand Master and his assistants must
perform every action and recitation in accordance with tradition or else
their efforts are wasted. This is an interesting departure from the usual
Taoist understanding of "going with the flow" and not worrying about
external rules or elaborate religious practices. 

Taoist rituals are concerned with honoring the ancestors of a village,

community, or city, and the Grand Master will invoke the spirits of
these ancestors while incense burns to purify the area. Purification is a
very important element throughout the ritual. The common space of
everyday life must be transformed into sacred space to invite
communion with the spirits and the gods. There are usually four
assistants who attend the Grand Master in different capacities, either
as musicians, sacred dancers, or readers. The Grand Master will act
out the text as read by one of his assistants, and this text has to do
with the ascent of the soul to join with the gods and one's ancestors.
In ancient times, the ritual was performed on a staircase leading to an
altar to symbolize ascent from one's common surroundings to the
higher elevation of the gods. In the present day, the ritual may be
performed on a stage or the ground, and it is understood from the text
and the actions of the Grand Master that he is ascending. 

The altar still plays an important part in the ritual as it is seen as the
place where the earthly realm meets with the divine. Taoist
households have their own private altars where people will pray and
honor their ancestors, household spirits, and the spirits of their village.
Taoism encourages individual worship in the home, and the rituals and
festivals are community events which bring people together, but they
should not be equated with worship practices of other religions such as
attending church or temple. A Taoist can worship at home without
ever attending a festival, and throughout its history most people have.
Festivals are very expensive to stage and are usually funded by
members of the town, village, or city. They are usually seen as
celebrations of community, though are sometimes performed in times
of need such as an epidemic or financial struggle. The spirits and the
gods are invoked during these times to drive away the dark spirits
causing the problems. 

CONCLUSION
Taoism significantly influenced Chinese culture from the Shang
Dynasty forward. The recognition that all things and all people are
connected is expressed in the development of the arts, which reflect
the people's understanding of their place in the universe and their
obligation to each other. During the Tang Dynasty, Taoism became the
state religion under the reign of the emperor Xuanzong because he
believed it would create harmonious balance in his subjects and, for
awhile, he was correct. Xuanzong's rule is still considered one of the
most prosperous and stable in the history of China and the high point
of the Tang Dynasty.  

Taoism has been nominated as a state religion a number of times

throughout China's history but the majority preferred the teachings of
Confucius (or, at times, Buddhism), most likely because of the rituals
of these beliefs which provide a structure Taoism lacks. Today, Taoism
is recognized as one of the great world religions and continues to be
practiced by people in China and throughout the world.